Department for Transport

Network Rail: Land

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the expected income from Network Rail’s disposal of operational freight land.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: As recommended by the 2015 Hendy Review, Network Rail is committed to disposing of assets, including freight estate, where ownership is not essential for the running of the railway. As well as generating funds to reinvest into the railway, this will allow Network Rail to focus on its core business of running a safe, reliable and growing network. At this point in time all options are still being considered and no firm decisions have been made about freight asset sales. The detail of any expected future asset sales is commercially sensitive.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 December 2016 (HL4189), whether the funding envelope for HS2 set by the Spending Review 2015 is unchanged; and what allowance, if any, they expect to be added to those figures in respect of developer contributions to station construction; and what, if any, government guarantees will be assumed for such private sector contributions.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Spending Review 2015 set a long term funding envelope for HS2 of £55.7 billion in 2015 prices, which remains unchanged. The key funding assumption remains that HS2 will be fully publicly funded upfront. The Department for Transport and HS2 Limited will investigate private financing and third party funding, where this could reduce cost to the taxpayer and promote value for money. In relation to Manchester Airport station, the funding arrangements are yet to be concluded but the Government has made clear that development of a station at Manchester Airport is dependent on agreeing an appropriate local funding package. HS2 Ltd’s budgeting is in line with that and HS2 Ltd will continue to pursue avenues that encourage third party, non-Governmental funding.

Roads: Finance

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding they allocated to (1) the Highways Agency, (2) local authorities, and (3) other bodies, for the construction and maintenance of roads and pavements in the last financial year for which figures are available.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In 2016/17, Highways England spent £3.1bn in total in covering construction and maintenance of the Strategic Road Network, and the Traffic Officer Service.The Government provided a total of £137.6m to local authorities from the local majors programme for the construction of new local roads. The Government also allocated £1.029 billion to local authorities for highways maintenance in England outside London This was made up of £826m highways maintenance block needs element, £50m highways maintenance block incentive element, £103m highways maintenance block challenge fund and £50m Pothole Action Fund. A further £258 million was provided to local authorities in England outside London for small scale transport improvements through the integrated transport block. The Mayor of London receives an annual grant from the Government for transport including rail, underground and roads, so the Department does not hold a breakdown of the expenditure.

M3

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government for how many months roadworks have been underway on the M3 motorway between the Fleet Services and the M25; for how many months those roadworks are expected to continue; what was the initial cost estimate for those works; and what is the current estimated cost.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The roadworks underway on the M3 between junctions 2 (the M25) and 4a near Fleet services) consist of two combined schemes (a Smart Motorway scheme and a maintenance scheme). These have been underway for 26 months, and are currently due to finish construction in two months in June 2017. The cost estimate approved for these works was £256 million. The current estimated outturn cost of the scheme is also £256 million.

Home Office

Security Guards: Licensing

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of security companies are members of the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme; and what measures they are taking to encourage security companies to join the Approved Contractor Scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: The Security Industry Authority operates a voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme which measures private security suppliers against independently assessed criteria. There are 831 companies currently registered under this scheme.

Security Guards: Licensing

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of security contracts let by (1) central government departments, (2) government agencies, (3) NHS bodies, and (4) local government, are to members of the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: This information is not held centrally.

Security Guards: Licensing

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the work done by the Scottish Procurement Directorate to promote the use of the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme in public body contracts for security services in Scotland might be a model that would have a beneficial effect elsewhere in the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: No assessment has been made of the potential benefit for the rest of the UK of the work done by the Scottish Procurement Directorate in relation to the Approved Contractor Scheme.

Sexual Offences: Northern Ireland

lord morrow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to initiate a serious case review into the case of the vulnerable adult who was imprisoned and abused by Keith and Caroline Baker.

baroness williams of trafford: The decision as to whether to carry out a Safeguarding Adult Review is a matter for the relevant Safeguarding Adult Board.

Cannabis

lord northbrook: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the differing risks posed by different strengths of cannabis; and, if so, whether they have published those results.

baroness williams of trafford: The government relies on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to inform its assessment of drug harms. The most recent advice from the ACMD relating to cannabis is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/acmd-cannabis-classification-and-public-health-2008



ACMD Report - Cannabis 
(PDF Document, 294.63 KB)

Domestic Violence

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of figures released following a freedom of information request showing that more than 160,000 victims of domestic violence in England withdrew their support for charges against their abusers in 2016, what percentage rise this represents compared with the previous 12 months; and what assessment they have made of the factors which led to those withdrawals.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office first published information on police outcomes for domestic abuse-related offences in ‘Crime outcomes in England and Wales: year ending March 2016’, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-2015-to-2016. As this was the first time police forces were required to collect figures in this way it is not possible to compare them to earlier years. The Office of National Statistics has been clear that recent rises in recorded crime reflect improved processes and a greater willingness of victims to come forward there are too many instances where victims are unwilling to testify against their abuser. The Government expects police forces and Crown Prosecutors to use the available data, alongside local knowledge, to review performance in relation to domestic abuse in order to identify areas for improvement.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Productivity

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the productivity of UK workers in comparison with workers in (1) other EU member states, and (2) the US.

lord prior of brampton: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces comparisons of UK productivity with the G7 countries and some, but not all, EU member states. ONS statistics show output per hour worked in the UK was 15.9% below the average for the rest of the G7 advanced economies in 2015; 22.7% below that in France; 26.7% below Germany and 22.2% below the USA.Please see attached tables for full details.



Productivity statistics
(PDF Document, 96.28 KB)

Supermarkets: Codes of Practice

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Groceries Code.

lord prior of brampton: The effectiveness of the Groceries Code is being assessed as part of the on-going Statutory Review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator which will be published in due course.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for International Development has spent on bilateral funding for HIV and AIDS programmes in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

lord bates: The table below shows DFID Bilateral ODA expenditure on HIV/AIDS for the last five years for which figures are available. .   £Thousands.20112012201320142015STD control including HIV/AIDS183,079115,14656,07725,60516,434 The majority of our investments to the HIV response are now directed through multilateral partners such as the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, UNITAID and UNAIDS. This enables us to have greater impact on HIV than we could achieve through bilateral programmes alone.They can deliver the large-scale, low-cost programmes needed in the most effective way and at the best value to the taxpayer. For example, our £1.1billion investment in the Global Fund (2017-19), up from our £1bn pledge in 2014-2016, makes us the second largest donor. This support will help provide lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy for 1.3 million people living with HIV.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

lord eames: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which department is responsible for the allocation of humanitarian aid to Syria.

lord bates: The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK's humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. It is our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are providing lifesaving support to millions of Syrians, supporting Syrians who have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries, and enabling host communities to accommodate them.

*No heading*

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken to provide education for the children of Syrian refugees in Jordan.

lord bates: The UK is supporting the Government of Jordan to deliver the commitment made at the February 2016 Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in London to enable every refugee and vulnerable host community child to access quality education. We are providing up to £80 million over 4 years to support access to education for Syrian refugee children as well as improving the quality of education for all children in Jordan.Our support has also contributed to 98 new double shift schools opening this school year. There are now enough spaces for all Syrian and Jordanian children to participate in formal schooling in Jordan.

*No heading*

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether arrangements are being made for the employment of qualified Syrian teachers who are based in camps or cities in Jordan.

lord bates: Currently teaching is a “restricted sector” in Jordan, not open to nationalities other than Jordanian. However, of the approximately 49,000 work permits issued to Syrian refugees to date, 103 Syrians have been employed in the education sector.

*No heading*

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress there has been in increasing the levels of educational attainment or education services in Lebanon, following the agreement in 2016 of a loan by the World Bank for the funding of refugee schooling.

lord bates: DFID is a leading supporter of the Government of Lebanon’s Reaching All Children with Education (RACE II) plan to get all children into education, including by providing £86.6 million via the World Bank to improve access to quality education in Lebanon. Good progress has been made so with almost 300,000 Syrian refugee children now receiving an education.

*No heading*

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) Jordanians, and (2) Syrians, are employed in the King Hussein Development Zone in Jordan, following the agreement with the World Bank, the EU and others.

lord bates: There are currently 928 workers at the King Hussain Development Zone in Mafraq. Of these 835 are Jordanians and 25 are Syrians, with the remaining workers being from other nationalities. Since January 1st 2016, 49,542 work permits have been issued to Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Department for Education

Channel Four Television: Public Appointments

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 20 April (HL6668) concerning the female candidate who was not approved for appointment by the Secretary of State to the Board of Channel 4, whether they intend to ask the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to examine the appointments process, with respect to the question of whether race or gender discrimination were factors in the decision made.

lord nash: As an independent statutory body responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010, the EHRC is able to make its own decisions to intervene if it suspects that an unlawful act has been committed. It has the power to take enforcement action in relation to a breach of the Act’s provisions, including the provisions that cover appointment to public office.

Truancy

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many parents were prosecuted in relation to truancy by their children in (1) 2014, (2) 2015, and (3) 2016; and what measures they are proposing to take to reduce the levels of school absence.

lord nash: Statistics on truancy for 2014 and 2015 (latest currently available) are published by the Ministry of Justice in the “Criminal justice statistics outcomes by offence data tool”, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015. Figures for 2016 are not yet available. Criminal Justice Statistics outcome for truancy offences, 2014 to 2015 20142015Number of defendants proceeded against17,01320,808The Government has been clear that children’s attendance at school is non-negotiable. It is for schools to determine how they address poor attendance using the range of measures available to them, such as parenting contracts and parenting orders, or penalty notice for unauthorised absence. These measures are used to reinforce parents’ responsibilities and to support them in improving their child’s attendance at school.

Playgrounds

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the closure of children’s playgrounds on the health, security, safety and education of children.

lord nash: Local authorities and schools seek consent from the Secretary of State to dispose of playing field land that is surplus or unused. The department has a strong policy presumption against the disposal of school playing fields and has a set of criteria used to assess applications for consent. These include assessing whether the school can continue to meet its curriculum needs. The department gives consent only if the criteria are met, and where the proceeds from sales are to be reinvested in sports and education facilities.PE remains a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum, ensuring that all children and young people continue to engage in sport and physical activity as they progress through education and beyond. Schools are free to organise and deliver a diverse and challenging PE curriculum, but through the primary PE and sport premium. The government has invested over £600m of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport since 2013, and will double the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million a year from September 2017. We also recently announced the creation of the Healthy Pupils Capital Programme, committing £415m of additional funding from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy for primary, secondary, and sixth form colleges to support PE, after school activities, healthy eating, and young people suffering with mental health issues.

Ministry of Justice

County Courts: Judgements

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the figures from the Registry Trust published in December 2016 showing a 21 per cent fall in England and Wales county court judgments against businesses in 2016 compared to 2015, what assessment they have made regarding the reasons for this fall.

lord keen of elie: The Ministry of Justice has not conducted an analysis of the reasons for the fall in the number of County Court judgments against businesses.

Department for Work and Pensions

Bereavement Support Payment

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, when determining the length of time for which Bereavement Support Payments would be paid, they considered 18 months a suitable timeframe for bereavement support.

lord henley: Bereavement Support Payment is intended to help people with the additional costs immediately following a bereavement. Income-related benefits are more suited for longer-term assistance with everyday living expenses. Evidence from the Government’s public consultation exercise in 2011 suggested the financial impact of spousal bereavement was more acute in the early months; and so this new benefit provides a significant cash boost of a lump sum followed by 18 monthly instalments. The Government originally proposed 12 monthly instalments, but in response to representations from the Social Security Advisory Committee, the Work and Pensions Select Committee and groups supporting bereaved people, this was extended to 18 months. This ensures that the payments do not end on the anniversary of the death.

Department for Communities and Local Government

High Street Review

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the 28 recommendations of the Portas Review published on 13 December 2011 were implemented.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government’s response to the Portas Review, published in April 2012, accepted all but one of the 28 recommendations. The recommendation to introduce Secretary of State “sign off” for all new out-of-town developments and to require all large new developments to have an “affordable shops” quota was not accepted.Following the Portas Review, a programme was established by the Government to help support high streets of all shapes and sizes across England. This included the establishment of 27 Portas Pilots across England, which were designed to test different approaches to revitalising high streets and town centres.It also funded the creation of 360 Town Teams that were not selected to become Portas Pilots to give them the opportunity to kick start activity in their areas, with funding of £10,000 and a programme of practical support. The Government went beyond the recommendation for a “National Markets Day” to support and part-fund the very successful “Love Your Local Market” campaign, now in its sixth year. A £1 million High Street Renewal Award was also made available to seven local areas – two of which were Portas Pilot towns – delivering the most effective and innovative plans to bring their town centres back to life.In addition, a series of measures were implemented in response to the Portas Review. These included a commitment to support Business Improvement Districts, support for small businesses through rate relief and business rate discounts, and planning changes to allow business to respond flexibly to changing market conditions. Concerted action was also taken to tackle over-zealous parking practices.A High Street Innovation Fund was established in 2012 worth £10 million to help those councils with the highest incidence of empty properties and those affected by the 2011 riots.The Future High Street Forum has met since 2013, bringing together leading business figures in high street retailing with the Government. The Forum launched the “High Street Pledge” in July 2016 – signed by over 40 national retailers and other high streets business committing their stores to supporting their local high streets – and since 2014 the annual Great British High Street Competition which recognises and celebrates the wonderful work that local communities are doing across the country in their high streets has taken place.The Future High Street Forum also launched a digital pilot in Gloucestershire with the support of the GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership to support SMEs to embrace digital. The Pilot has produced some interesting results.

Garden Communities

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in reaching their decision on support for garden villages, what assessment they made of (1) the Planning Practice Guidance which states that local authorities should have regard to airfield connectivity, and (2) the Aviation Policy Framework.

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what weight they will give to the advice on the contribution of aviation to economic growth contained in the National Planning Policy Framework, the Planning Practice Guidance, the Aviation Policy Framework, and the General Aviation Strategy, when advising on the Surrey Heath garden village.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Surrey Heath Borough Council’s expression of interest for Fairoaks Garden Village was assessed using the criteria set out in out in the Government prospectus “Locally-Led Garden Villages, Towns and Cities” published (attached) March 2016. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/508205/Locally-led_garden_villages__towns_and_cities.pdfThe National Planning Policy Framework is a material consideration in planning decisions and the Framework’s policies for delivering sustainable development must be considered as a whole. Where relevant, this would include the policy for airports and airfields (that are not subject to a separate national policy statement), which expects local planning authorities to take account of their growth and role in serving business, leisure, training and emergency needs. Planning guidance supporting the Framework makes clear local authorities should consider the interconnectivity between airfields of different sizes and that they should have regard to the Aviation Policy Framework.



Locally - led garden villages, Towns and Cities
(PDF Document, 521.25 KB)

Non-domestic Rates

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter from Lord Young of Cookham to Lord Beecham on 5 April regarding the Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention) and (Levy and Safety Net) (Amendment) Regulations 2017, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House, (1) how many challenges to the 2010 rating lists are outstanding for each year since 2010, (2) how long they estimate it will take to determine those challenges, and (3) what is their estimate of the financial impact of successful challenges on local authorities.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Government Departments: Land

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether operational government land can be disposed of on a freehold basis.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Empty Property: Security

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the rights of property guardians.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Homelessness

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in reducing the levels of homelessness among single young people and families living in temporary accommodation; and what assessment they have made of the need to increase the provision of (1) affordable accommodation, and (2) private rented accommodation at rent levels proportionate to household incomes.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

HM Treasury

Financial Services: Fines

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each fine imposed by the Financial Conduct Authority since 2007, what was (1) the amount of the fine before any discounts arising from early settlement, (2) the amount paid, and (3) the amount of any discounts applied.

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions the Financial Conduct Authority has exercised its powers to increase a fine that it has already imposed; and, in each case, what were the reasons for the exercise of those powers.

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are all the factors they, and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), consider as aggravating a breach of conduct for which a fine may be imposed by the FCA, which may lead to an increase in that fine.

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the Financial Conduct Authority investigates and documents the process by which it evaluates aggravating factors which may lead to an increase in an already imposed fine.

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in how many instances since 2007 did the Financial Conduct Authority increase a financial penalty as a result of a firm failing to take disciplinary action against staff; and in each case, what was the reason for the increase.

baroness neville-rolfe: Information on the FCA’s enforcement powers and its policy for financial penalty is set out in detail in the enforcement section of their website, and in their Handbook. The FCA does not seek to agree specific disciplinary action firms should take against individuals. If the FCA thinks that disciplinary action should be taken against individuals, it can and does take that action itself. We have passed Lord Mendelsohn’s questions on to the FCA, who will reply directly to him by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Cabinet Office

Environment Protection: Devolution

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to meet with the devolved Administrations to discuss initial proposals for devolved powers on environmental matters; what was the outcome of those meetings; and how frequently they plan to meet the devolved Administrations during the Brexit negotiations to discuss further proposals for devolution on environmental matters.

lord young of cookham: The UK Government is fully committed to working with the devolved administrations on environmental matters. Discussions are ongoing on a bilateral basis, as well as via the Joint Ministerial Committee EU Negotiations (JMC(EN)) across a range of issues.